• county
  • FIPS 31179
  • Largest town: Wayne

Wayne County, Nebraska

Wayne County had 9,870 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 442.9 square miles of land. It ranks 27th of 93 in Nebraska by population and 80th by land area.

Population
9,870
#27 of 93 in Nebraska · #2,414 in US
Area
442.9 sq mi
#80 of 93 in Nebraska · #2,296 in US
Density
22 / sq mi
#22 of 93 in Nebraska · #2,155 in US
Median household income
$68,309
#29 of 93 in Nebraska · #1,116 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Wayne County within Nebraska. Pin: Lincoln.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Wayne County

Wayne County population, land area and income

Wayne County had 9,870 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 442.9 square miles of land. It ranks 27th of 93 in Nebraska by population and 80th by land area. That works out to 22.3 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and below the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Nebraska has 6,103 residents; Wayne County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $68,309 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

9,870

3144th1st

2414th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

443 sq mi

3144th1st

2296th of 3,144 (US)

Density

22.3 / sq mi

3144th1st

2155th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$68,309

3143rd1st

1116th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Nebraska (93)

Population

9,870

93rd1st

27th of 93 (NE)

Land area

443 sq mi

93rd1st

80th of 93 (NE)

Density

22.3 / sq mi

93rd1st

22nd of 93 (NE)

Median household income

$68,309

93rd1st

29th of 93 (NE)

How Wayne County's population changed since 2020

Wayne County gained 168 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 1.7%. That ranks 19th of 93 in Nebraska for growth. The median Nebraska county changed by -0.6%, and the state as a whole by +2.1%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Wayne County recorded 429 births and 309 deaths, a natural change of +120. Net international migration added +85 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -37. The largest single component was natural change, which added 120 people.

9,70220209,87020219,89820229,88220239,8702024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
429
Deaths
309
Net international migration
+85
Net domestic migration
-37
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-12

Where Wayne County is

The Census internal point of Wayne County is at 42.210700, -97.126200. It sits in UTM zone 14N. The map shades Nebraska's 93 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Wayne County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

York County: +1.9%Boone County: -0.1%Grant County: -7.0%Saline County: +0.2%Adams County: +0.1%Clay County: -0.1%Logan County: -3.3%Hamilton County: +1.7%Thomas County: -5.9%Lancaster County: +3.0%Sherman County: -0.1%Lincoln County: -3.5%Stanton County: -1.1%Dawes County: -1.9%Madison County: +0.1%Perkins County: -2.9%Arthur County: -2.1%Deuel County: +3.2%Banner County: -1.9%Dundy County: -4.2%Garfield County: -5.4%Wheeler County: +4.3%Seward County: +0.9%Johnson County: -1.4%Wayne County: +1.7%Hayes County: -0.4%Gosper County: -4.6%Blaine County: +6.1%Valley County: -0.6%Keith County: -2.1%Antelope County: +1.3%Hooker County: -1.3%Hitchcock County: -6.1%Box Butte County: -1.1%Morrill County: -1.6%Chase County: -3.2%Howard County: +1.3%Holt County: +0.1%Phelps County: +0.7%Cuming County: -0.7%Jefferson County: -1.7%Garden County: -4.5%Dodge County: +2.1%Buffalo County: +1.9%Butler County: +1.0%Fillmore County: -1.0%Boyd County: -5.7%Nuckolls County: +0.1%Loup County: -3.8%Sioux County: -3.7%Thayer County: -3.1%Cheyenne County: +1.2%Rock County: -1.9%Nance County: -3.9%Greeley County: +0.8%Hall County: +0.1%Brown County: -0.9%Dakota County: -1.0%Kearney County: +0.9%Webster County: -1.9%Nemaha County: -0.6%Franklin County: -2.5%Furnas County: -3.5%Sarpy County: +7.1%Platte County: +3.5%Kimball County: -3.0%Polk County: +1.0%Dixon County: -1.1%Knox County: -1.0%Thurston County: -1.8%Douglas County: +2.7%Scotts Bluff County: -0.9%Pierce County: -0.1%Burt County: +0.0%Merrick County: +2.3%Sheridan County: -3.5%Washington County: +1.6%Frontier County: +1.3%Colfax County: +2.6%Cass County: +3.3%Pawnee County: -0.8%Richardson County: -2.5%Cedar County: -1.3%Gage County: +0.2%Dawson County: +2.0%Keya Paha County: +7.8%Cherry County: +1.9%McPherson County: -5.1%Otoe County: +4.3%Red Willow County: -2.6%Custer County: -0.0%Harlan County: -1.2%Saunders County: +4.6%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -3.0%
  2. < -1.1%
  3. < +0.1%
  4. < +1.7%
  5. ≥ +1.7%
no data

Orange pin: Wayne County internal point. Dark pin: Lincoln.

Internal point

Decimal
42.210700, -97.126200
DMS
42°12'38.52"N 97°07'34.32"W
UTM
14N 654673.4E 4674870.0N
Geohash
9zdbju4z5
Plus code
86J46V6F+7G

Towns in Wayne County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Wayne County, 6,588 people together, or 67% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Wayne County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Wayne with 6,229.

  1. 01Wayne6,229
  2. 02Wakefield (part)359
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Wayne County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Wayne County. The most populous is Madison County, NE, with 35,579 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Lincoln and the nearest big city

Lincoln is 99.4 miles SSE of Wayne County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Omaha, NE (population 489,265), 85.7 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Norfolk, NE (population 26,162), 19.9 miles away.

Wayne County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Wayne County is 31179: state code 31 for Nebraska plus county code 179. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $68,309.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Wayne County, Nebraska?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 9,870. That is up 168 people (1.7%) from the July 2020 estimate of 9,702.

What is the FIPS code of Wayne County?

31179. The first two digits (31) are Nebraska; the last three (179) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Wayne County?

Wayne, with 6,229 residents inside Wayne County in 2024.

Which counties border Wayne County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Madison County, NE; Cuming County, NE; Cedar County, NE; Pierce County, NE; Thurston County, NE; Stanton County, NE; Dixon County, NE.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.